Struggling to Breathe
by CliffieMaster
Summary: A reflection in the mirror that wasn't her own. A drawing she knew she never did. A fragile glass ball on her dresser, gleaming with a light that haunted her dreams. ::JarethSarah:: Oneshot


Cliffie: Hello hello! Long time no see. Being a long time, die-hard fan of Labyrinth, I've been reading JS stories for quite a while but haven't had the guts to make one (because, really, Labyrinth is a classic, almost untouchable). Finally, however, my JS cravings could not be contained, and I just had to write this. Hopefully it's good! XD

Takes place after Labyrinth, of course, when Sarah is in college. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth or any of its characters. This is for enjoyment purposes only.

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Her room was covered with drawings that she'd done over the years.

Karen never thought she would major in art once college came around. No one did, really. They all thought she would be an actress. But she gave that dream up years ago. No one except herself knew why. All they knew was that she suddenly stopped practicing her lines. She had stopped doing a lot of things, actually. She never dressed up anymore; she stayed home from parties, not even going to her own prom. Dancing sickened her now, because nothing people did here could ever match up to the way that he danced, the way he held her in his arms—

No. She had decided long ago to never think about him.

It never worked, of course. She thought of him much more than she ever wanted to. She couldn't dance without remembering a white ballroom and leering masks. She couldn't eat peaches anymore. She hated mazes with a passion and had a breakdown when some friends tried to drag her to a nearby Corn Maize. She never wore white or anything glittery.

She couldn't act anymore, because she could never remember any lines. Whenever she tried to, the only words that came out of her mouth were i _those_ /i words – words that had freed her. But they bound her at the same time, pressing down on her and making it impossible to breathe.

She woke up at night crying more than she would like to admit. She hated that of herself – hated that he could look so beautiful in her dreams. Hated that she always woke up with his loneliness pressing down on her chest. Hated that she cried because of him. Because of him, never for him. Because he haunted her, even now. Even now.

Her pencil touched the paper, leaving a small black mark. She stared at the white piece blankly, wondering what to draw. Anything would be fine. Anything to take her mind off of him.

"Sarah?"

She looked up, blinking stupidly. Maria, her roommate, was standing over her with a worried look on her face. "You've been staring at the paper for fifteen minutes, babe."

She stood so suddenly that Maria jumped back, startled. "I'm going to get some air," she told the other girl, who nodded dumbly and didn't question her. Maria was used to Sarah and her sudden mood changes.

She took a long walk around the campus, treading the less-populated paths. In the darkness, with the moon above her and the crisp air hitting her bare cheeks so hard they stung, she could almost believe she was okay.

But she wasn't okay, and hadn't been, since the day the goblins took Toby to the Underground.

_No no no!_

She broke into a run, a harsh, jagged run that tore air from her chest and made her knees throb. The more she ran, the more she forgot. The longer and harder she ran, the more breathing mattered. She felt alive when she ran, and all thoughts flew out of her head. The only thing that mattered was continuing on and getting enough air to her starving, aching lungs.

When Sarah finally returned to her dorm room, Maria was asleep. She crept in quietly, going straight to the desk that stood next to her bed. The paper and pencil were waiting for her, and she immediately began to sketch.

When she finished, a magnificent tree had blossomed onto her paper. She rarely knew why she drew what she did when she did, but she loved her works nonetheless.

Rising from her chair and repressing a yawn, she looked for a free space in which to hang her newest creation. _There should be a space right over here…_

Eyes the color of the deepest, impenetrable night stared back at her, and she nearly screamed.

The man was as beautiful as he was dangerous. There was a wildness about him, something that no one could tame. She had certainly not been able to – not that she had tried, really. Even now, even after everything that he had done, she still thought he was beautiful.

But he wasn't real this time. This time, he was simply (if such a word could even be used for an impossible creature like him) a sketch upon a piece of paper.

Sarah stared at the paper for a long moment, unable to tear her eyes away. When had she drawn that? She couldn't remember. But it was unmistakably one of her drawings.

Or a very good imitation.

Neither prospect – that she had drawn it unconsciously, or that someone else had and placed it there, on her wall – was very pleasing.

The hair on the back of her neck was prickling, and she felt suddenly exposed, out in the open, and she spun in a circle frantically, trying to look everywhere at once. Shadows coalesced in the corners, menacing and just waiting for her to drop her guard.

"Maria!" Sarah gasped, tripping towards her roommate's bed. "Maria!"

It took a few moments to wake Maria, who glared grumpily at Sarah. "What is it?"

"Did someone come in? After I left, did someone come into our room?" Her voice was desperate, her words breathless. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she was drowning… Something, anything. There was a fierce, deep want in her chest, in the pit of her stomach, gnawing at her until she was nearly sobbing. She was missing something, but she didn't know what. And she was afraid, deathly afraid, of the possibility that someone had come and put that drawing up.

"No," Maria snapped, grabbing her covers and pulling them over her head as she turned away from Sarah. "No one came, you freak. Let me sleep."

Sarah fell back numbly, sightless eyes locked onto Maria's back. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice the sudden silence, the sudden absence of any insect noise from outside or even the sound of Maria breathing even though her shoulders rose and fell slowly as she drifted back off to sleep.

_But I didn't draw that._

She knew she hadn't. She would have remembered, or Maria would have commented on it. She hadn't drawn that, but Maria didn't think anyone came in…

She remembered the noises from so long ago; they imprinted on her mind, just like everything else of that night. The rustling, the soft squeaks. The words, barely discernable.

_The goblins._

She was searching again, but nothing but the shadows were before her. They taunted her, mocked her, told her she was going crazy. Maybe she was.

Shaking, trembling from head to toe, she slowly turned back to face the picture, half-hoping that it would be gone and half-dreading what would happen if it was still there. When her eyes found his, she had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stifle her cry.

But something else caught her eye now, drawing her attention down, to the desk below the drawing. Something that hadn't been there when she first saw the drawing, appearing only once she had turned her back.

There, glinting and gleaming with the light of a thousand dying moons, was the crystal ball.

"N-no…"

She was dizzy, so dizzy she couldn't stand. She swayed, as if dancing to an unknown music she couldn't hear. But the music was only in her head.

"It can't be…"

She was sobbing now, great gasping sobs that tore her apart. She was hurting, and the longing was greater than ever. But that was stupid, beyond idiotic, to want the crystal. To want her dreams. To want the Labyrinth.

To want him.

She tore her eyes away from the crystal, one hand over her mouth to try and stop her sobs.

Before her, now, was the single mirror in the room. It was propped up against one wall, showing her from head to foot and then some.

Blue eyes, immensely powerful and captivating, had found hers once again.

He was in the mirror, staring at her, watching her with that same familiar look on his face.

Her breath stilled. Her sobs stopped. Her body was completely frozen. All she could do was stare at him, wonder if he was real.

"It's been a long time, Sarah."

She remembered how he used to say her name – it was always somehow different from how everyone else said it.

His voice was real, undeniably real, and Sarah knew this was not a dream.

"I'm missing something."

The words were out almost before she realized she had spoken them. There was a brief flaring of embarrassment, but she couldn't sustain it. Unbelief was cascading over her, and she couldn't understand why she wasn't shaking anymore. She should be on the ground in fear. The Labyrinth, and its Goblin King, had scarred her. But she wasn't afraid anymore. Just frozen.

Jareth grinned, a predatory, amused grin. "Yes," he replied, his tone simple, his voice undisguised. "You know what you are missing, Sarah. Open your eyes and see it."

She still hadn't turned to face him properly, but she somehow couldn't bring herself to do so. At the same time, she knew she would never be able to free herself from his gaze. From his presence. From his dreams, and hers, whatever they may be.

She could taste something, or remember the taste of something.

It was the peach. The peach that granted her a dream.

A peach of the goblins. Of the fey.

"I can't escape, can I?" Her voice was a whisper, but strangely not irritated. She remembered the folk tales, and wondered why she had never realized it before. "I ate the peach. I… can't escape."

"Do you want to?"

A slight shake of her head. She was in turmoil, unable to think properly. "I don't know what I want."

"Oh, but you do." He moved a step closer. She could feel his body heat at her back. "You know what you want, Sarah. It has been ingrained into you, sewn into your very soul. You cannot escape, and you know you do not want to. Say the words, Sarah."

She jerked in surprise, and he laughed at her.

"Say the words, Sarah."

The words that had torn her world apart. She had thought she had recovered from it. From them, and everything that came with them.

She was wrong.

And, suddenly, the longing became clear.

"I'm afraid."

Another step closer. The front of his shirt brushed the back of hers. "You should be."

No comfort came from him, but Sarah never expected any. She licked her lips, suddenly shaking again. Unable to bear looking into his eyes a moment longer, she shut hers so tight it hurt.

"What do you wish for, Sarah?"

He brushed a tendril of hair from her neck, and a shiver wracked her form.

"I wish…"

It was so hard. So much harder than it had been for Toby. But she couldn't stop now. She had already gone too far. She couldn't breathe, but she forced the words out anyway.

"I wish… the goblins…"

A sudden rustling, and she fell silent, practically sobbing again. But the sounds were just as comforting as they were unnerving. She had grown used to them in her dreams, and they held no terror for her anymore.

No more tears. Her eyes were dry. She licked her lips once; her hands balled into fists. The longing was so fierce she could scream.

"I wish the goblins… would take me away… right now!"

A soft laugh, and the brush of his hand against her cheek. An arm slipped around her waist, and she was suddenly pulled tight against a strong body. She could feel his breath on her ear, warm and silky and tantalizing and taking her own away.

"Your wish is my command."

There was the feeling of movement, of everything spinning. When things stilled, there was no more silence: she could hear the wind, and his breathing, and the sound of the goblins welcoming home their king. Hot, acrid air hit her face.

And, suddenly, she could breathe again.

* * *

Cliffie: Well! I must say I'm disgustingly pleased with this. D I feel strangely proud with the Jareth/Sarah interaction; I think I actually got their characters right! Yatta/dances/ And it's for _Labyrinth_. Yay for Labyrinth! Best movie EVAH. So much goodness! Goblins and Jareth and Sarah and Jareth and just everything. And the music. Yevon, the music. David Bowie's voice. Eeeee/swoons/

/coughs/ Okay, I'm done fangirling now. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this! Please review! This is Cliffie, over and out.


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